HMSV305 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Social Work and Human Services

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Acknowledging, respecting and learning from the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a priority in human service practices and human services workers are responsible for ensuring their practice is culturally aware, responsive and safe.

This unit will explore the historical and contemporary social and political issues that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students will develop knowledge of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people which is informed by their ways of knowing, being and doing. In particular, the unit aims to develop professional skills to work effectively and collaboratively in this area of human service practice.

The aim of this unit is for students to understand the value of the Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing in thinking holistically about experience, and to develop skills to work in culturally responsive ways with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Analyse historical and contemporary social and political issues that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (GA1, GA4)

LO2 - Identify the influence of cultural knowledges and perspectives in human service practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (GA1, GA5, GA6)

LO3 - Undertake collaboratively assessments with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and develop appropriate intervention plans (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7);

LO4 - Utilise a range of theories to analyse policies, programs and services (GA5, GA8);

LO5 - Analyse ethical issues and reflect critically on ethical dilemmas when undertaking human service practice with Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples (GA1, GA5)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

Content

Topics will include:

Historical overview

• Pre-invasion - Dreamtime, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing and the 8 Aboriginal ways of learning
• Political history
• Cultural history
• Social history

Human Rights and social justice issues

• Identity
• Privilege
• Racism
• Lateral violence
• Self-determination
• Decolonisation

Social and emotional wellbeing

• trauma
• grief and loss
• physical, spiritual and mental health
• Strengths-based approaches

Theoretical and Practice Frameworks

• Narrative therapy
• Cultural responsiveness
• Yarning
• Anti-racist practice
• Anti-oppressive practice
• Alternative therapies

Community practice

• Engagement and relationship building protocols
• Collaborative practice

Professional and personal identity

• use of self
• professional ethics

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Teaching and learning strategies for this unit involve 150 hours of learning with 36 hours of face-to-face, recorded and guest lectures, small group discussions and skill development workshops. Tutorials incorporate small group, collaborative discussions and experiential learning. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively in class discussions. 

The approach of this unit is to privilege Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, voices, teachers and resources in active respect of how these enrich and deepen student learning. To understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and ways of knowing and how these apply to practice, students need to understand and experience the 8 Aboriginal ways of learning. Teaching and learning through stories, links to land, using symbols, images and actions, modelling and making links to local community is encouraged. In this way the unit can best prepare human service graduates to continually develop their ability to be culturally responsive and safe in their future practice.

This unit may also be offered on or off campus in intensive mode or multi-mode for sponsored / special cohorts, with the learning and teaching strategies being equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the School Curriculum Implementation Committee. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

This unit takes an authentic assessment approach which prioritises assessment processes consistent with Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing, such as collaborative, experiential and reflective learning. The initial assessment positions students in an authentic task of presenting aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history relevant to human practice, and demonstrating the application of knowledge to practice. Assessment 2 assesses students’ ability to identify and describe culturally responsive practice relevant to a video case scenario and to reflect on their own values and ethical knowledge with regard to social work practice in this area. The final reflective assessment is designed to enhance meaningful engagement with the unit content and Aboriginal ways of learning. Hence it assesses students’ self-directed critical reflection on their learning journey, including collaborative and group learning and reflection on their engagement with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander facilitators.

Intensive and multi-mode assessment of this unit will be transparently equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the relevant Course Implementation Committee.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Bennett, B., Green, S., Gilbert, S., Bessarab, D (Eds.) (2013) Our Voices: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Work. South Yarra; Palgrave Macmillan.

Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (Eds.) (2014) Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (2nd ed). Commonwealth of Australia.

Goodall, H. (2008). Invasion to Embassy: Land and Aboriginal Politics in New South Wales, 1770-1972. Cows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Musharbash, Y. (2008) Yuendumu Everyday: Contemporary Life in remote Aboriginal Australia. Canberra; Aboriginal Studies Press.

Osterhammel, J. (2005). Colonialism: A theoretical overview. Marcus Weiner Publishers.

Ranzijn, R., McConnochie, K., & Nolan, W. (2009). Psychology and Indigenous Australians: Foundations of Cultural Competence. South Yarra, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan.

Reynolds, H. (1987). Frontier-Aborigines, settlers and land. St Leonards NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Taylor, K. & Guerin, P. (2010). Health care and Indigenous Australians. Malaysia: Palgrave Macmillan.